Chapter Eighteen.
When they returned home, Crown sensed a shift in his wife.
Given everything that had transpired, he understood why.
What troubled him was whether this change stemmed solely from witnessing Caresha’s injuries, the news of his firm being shot up, or her realization of just how dangerous his world could become.
As Nivéa sat on the edge of the bed breastfeeding, Crown settled beside her.
“I’m sorry, baby. Real talk. I’m so sorry that shit happened.”
Nivéa didn’t respond. She nodded, her gaze still fixed on Nyla.
“I promise to take you to see her as much as you want, whether that’s to the hospital, to her crib, or over to her mama’s place. Wherever. I got you.”
“If she goes home with her mama, that’s out of the question.”
Crown stared at her, grasping what she meant.
Caresha’s mother clearly didn’t want him or Danger around, and he’d sensed that long before Nivéa voiced it.
The way she had regarded them in the hospital waiting room had spoken volumes.
The warm, loving woman he’d met at their reception had been replaced by a mother terrified for her daughter, unwilling to take any chances.
“I’m not gon’ ask you if you’re good because I know you not. But what about us? We good?” Crown asked, searching her face.
Nivéa tore her red, swollen eyes away from Nyla to finally meet his gaze.
“I... I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I believe we’re good, but I’m scared, Ahmad. What happened to Reesh could’ve very easily happened to me… it could still happen to me.”
Crown’s nostrils flared slightly as he absorbed her words.
“Listen, baby. My world gets crazy. There’s no sense in me gaslighting you.
You know that by now. But I would never put you in a position to be harmed.
Never. I can’t control what the next nigga does.
I can’t control what goes on with everybody else.
I try to, but at the end of the day, I can only do so much for them.
But one thing I can control is what goes down in my household.
And I’m telling you with confidence... that would never be your story because I make sure of it. ”
Nivéa took him in, studying his face and reading the conviction in his body language.
There was something protective in the way he looked at her, something possessive, too.
Crown regarded her as if he would do everything in his power to keep her safe because she was his.
She understood all of that without him needing to say another word.
“Baby, I hear you. And I get that you think—”
“I don’t think shit. I know this for a fact.
Everything I do… every move I make is in your best interest, even when you don’t see it.
Remember our first date? You mentioned how you could’ve gotten shot.
Well, I’m telling you now, I took you to the far back of my clubhouse for a reason.
Did I know that shit was gon’ happen with Mo?
Nah. But the first thought that crossed my mind when we walked through those doors was that if something popped off outside or inside, we’d be out of the way of the blow, and I could get you to my office quick. Think about it.”
Nivéa listened quietly, letting his words settle as she reflected on that night.
Crown was right. He had certainly taken her toward the back of the clubhouse, away from the main crowd and the doors where most of the movement was happening.
At the time, she thought he simply wanted privacy.
Now, she realized he’d been considering her safety before she even understood the danger surrounding her.
She couldn’t deny that it meant something.
“I will never intentionally or unintentionally put you in a position to be harmed. If you don’t believe anything else, you must believe that.” Crown added.
“Okay,” Nivéa replied, tears slipping down her cheeks.
She lowered her head to look at Nyla, but Crown reached over and gently lifted her chin until she was looking directly at him. He sensed the lingering doubt in her eyes.
“Our marriage ain’t always gon’ be pretty, especially with the life I live.
We gon’ have our ups and downs. But, ma, don’t let anyone get into your head about me or what we share.
We building this shit brick by brick… you and me.
Ain’t nobody coming between that. You know the real me. Don’t let them.”
“Never,” Nivéa promised, tears still falling as she held his gaze.
She sometimes felt torn…scared, even…about his lifestyle.
But one thing she knew for certain was that Crown was good to her.
She knew what she felt when she looked at her husband, and that was something nobody else could define for her.
So, no. She would never let anyone come between them and what they shared.
After she finished breastfeeding, Crown took over.
He gently lifted Nyla from her arms, changed her diaper, and then spent some time playing with her and talking to her until she was ready for her afternoon nap.
Once he laid her down in the nursery, he headed downstairs, fixed Nivéa a plate of the food his mother had cooked and brought upstairs, then fed her himself.
When she finished, he tucked her into bed before taking the plate downstairs.
Upon returning to the bedroom, Crown undressed and climbed into bed beside her. He pulled Nivéa into his arms, kissing the tears from her cheeks. She was a wreck, and rightfully so. Life was hard. His world was even harder. He understood that.
“What you need from me?” He asked.
“I wanna go back and see Reesh this evening. They say she may be released tomorrow since she can move just fine and is only sore.”
“I got you. No problem.”
“Did D tell you why they were arguing?”
“Nah, baby. He didn’t.”
“That’s weird. Reesh didn’t tell me either. Maybe because her mama was in the room. Do you think he’s talking to someone else?”
“Nah, I don’t think that. I mean, I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is this is the first time I’ve ever seen bro care about a woman, take his time with one. So, I believe that would make him smart enough to avoid doing some stupid shit like that.”
Crown could go to war with Danger, telling him about himself in private, but to the world, he would never speak ill of his brother.
“Well, I can’t think of anything else.”
“Maybe you need to stop thinking. Take a nap. Turn your brain off for a minute. I know you worried about Reesh, but you're also pregnant. Take it easy, knowing she’s alive and okay. Then you wake up, and I’ll take you to see her again.”
“Okay.”
Crown pulled her closer, holding her against his chest as she finally let her eyes close. For the first time since the hospital, Nivéa allowed herself to stop thinking about what could’ve happened and held onto what she knew.
Caresha was alive, and her husband was alive after his firm had been attacked. For now, that was enough…